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 enlarge | Director: Marc Forster
Actors: Will Ferrell, Queen Latifah, Peter Grosz, Ricky Adams, Christian Stolte
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.94
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $14.93 (100%)
New (64) Used (305) from $0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  298 reviews
Sales Rank: 1101
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 113
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: COLD15407D
UPC: 073098109412
EAN: 0001686188662
ASIN: B000LXH0AE
Theatrical Release Date: November 10, 2006
Release Date: February 27, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 clever and fascinating November 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The story starts with Emma Thompson's voice narrating an ordinary morning in IRS agent Harold Crick's (Will Ferrell) life, a perfectly normal beginning to a movie, until he looks confused and looks around, and the voice stops, then resumes. He's hearing a voice narrating his life, and naturally, it causes a lot of havoc.
He tries to ignore it, but the strain starts to show, so a co-worker gives him the "easier" of two audits--a baker (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Of course, it's not easier, because the baker is not only a free spirit who'd dropped out of law school to become a baker and who's refusing to pay the percentage of her taxes pertaining to the defense budget, but he's also extremely attracted to her.
Harold consults a psychiatrist, though he's sure he's not crazy, then a literature professor (Dustin Hoffman), who after initial resistance, finds the problem fascinating. Turns out Harold Crick is the main character in novelist Kay Eiffel's (Emma Thompson) latest book, and he's screwed, because she always kills her main character in the end.
Ms. Eiffel, meanwhile, is suffering from writer's block, and her publisher sends an assistant (Queen Latifah) to help prod her along.
It's such a clever, fascinating story--the collision of fiction and real life, and it's twisted just a little differently from other stories I've read about fictional characters coming to life, though maybe I just haven't read the right stories. What makes it wonderful, though, is that that isn't all there is to the story.
There's also the love story between Harold and the baker, which was sweet and believable. Her free spirit is a perfect foil for his regimented existence. He makes missteps that aren't silly or cliched, but rather in line with his character, and she reacts in character as well. Will Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal bring the characters to life so convincingly you forget they're just acting.
There's the story of the author's writer's block and her attempts to foil it--standing at the edge of her desk trying to imagine jumping from a tall building, and the hilarious scene from the previews when she's going through the hospital looking for dying people. The assistant's calm but determined demeanor works so well with the author who's alternately stuck inside her head and going off on flights of fancy. Again, Emma Thompson and Queen Latifah are just perfect in the roles.
And the whole thing makes Harold reevaluate his life, which in turn makes the audience think, and we discussed it for days afterward. My men enjoyed it as much as I did.
Don't miss this movie. November 22, 2008
Found this movie by accident.Really great story line, acting and sound track. Think it is Will Ferrell's best work yet.A good romantic comedy!
A metaphor for modern life-thumbs up! October 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was hesitant to watch Will Farrell in this film, but was pleasantly surprised. My favorite line of the movie was when Emma Thompson, the writer says something like, if you set out to kill the guy in the story, and the guy wants to change the outcome, wants he finds out he will die, shouldn't those be the guys you keep alive? It speaks to those people who believe in fate, vs a predefined outcome to their lives, and the film overall is a great metaphor for not letting "life pass you by", in lieu of routine and monotony.
All of the characters are well developed and the chemistry is fantastic. I love Maggie and Dustin in these roles, and Emma Thompson as usual, is standout, as she is faced with her writer's block, and struggles with writing a tragedy vs a comedy. The film also reminds us what things are important in life, and how our behavior would/would not change if faced with sudden death. Although most people would anticipate a comedy, when Will Farrel is involved, this film, laces realism with a provocative challenge of examining our lives in a more "aware" state of mind. Not what I expected-recommend for a night of reflection, laughter and consideration.
 Stranger Than Fiction October 13, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This video played to a crucial point and then IT QUIT. This was a birthday present for my daughter. We had to drive to the video store and rent it so she could see the end. The seller did reimburse us for the video, but we had to pay for the shipping. I will never buy a used video from Amazon again.
Same basic story, clever new revision September 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Okay, I'm a sucker for the classic story of someone-finding-out-they-are-about-to-die-and-review-their-life-for-the-good. It's been done many a time, but I guess every once in a while there is a new way to look at this tried-and-true concept. This odd little gem is one of them.
The movie does not make sense, but that is part of the charm. A quirky writers' block-stricken author is in the middle of a novel about a man who just so happens to be an actual human being... and literature and reality begin to collide. A boring IRS agent is followed by a narration of his life, while the author has no clue what she is doing... even as she announces his upcoming death.
This is delightfully quirky and well-acted, with the right blend of comedy and drama that makes for something truly heartfelt. One of the greatest movies to come along in awhile.
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